


Can We Keep Him?

by actlikesummer



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Family Feels, Good Sibling Diego Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actlikesummer/pseuds/actlikesummer
Summary: Klaus comes stumbling into the house injured and sad and with a new friend. Diego's never going to hear the end of this.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Grace Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 6
Kudos: 228





	Can We Keep Him?

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously guys. I cannot get enough of protective and mushy Diego when it comes to his siblings.
> 
> Based on a prompt I got about them finding a dog. I figured if anyone brought one home, it would be Klaus.

The house was unusually quiet for a Friday night, though Diego figured it was because of the storm going on outside. The sound of the drops hitting the windows created a relaxed environment that soothed the ache in their souls as they recovered from their time-traveling adventures.

As he sat on his bed, he briefly wondered where his siblings were.

He’d seen Allison and Luther head up to the attic, as it was the best spot to talk and reconnect. Though everyone was unsure about whatever they were to each other (including themselves, it seemed), they all knew the two needed time to talk.

Five was in the library, trying to catch up on the things he’d missed while he was gone. He knew that if he was going to be integrating himself back into the 2019 society, he would need to pull it off. Diego had also caught him scribbling equations more than once in passing and had an inkling he was trying to upgrade his body from the teenage one he currently had to that of a thirty-year-old to match his siblings.

Vanya, though having gained a new confidence from her time without memories, had quickly suffered from the trauma of getting those memories back and had locked herself in her room not long after their return. Every one of them had tried and failed to coax her out, letting her know that none of it was her fault and that they all had things they needed to fix, but so far nothing had worked. It was a shared notion that they were all worried about her.

However, she wasn’t the only one they worried about.

Though he hadn’t spoken much about what happened during his three years in the ‘60s, everyone could feel the grief jumping off of him. Allison had also mentioned his break from sobriety, having heard it from Ben, and it made Diego wonder what could have hurt him so severely that he would break after that long.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a loud bang was heard from downstairs, making him jump and instinctively grab a knife. “Guys help!”

He quickly made his way to the first floor, running into Five, Allison, and Luther as he went. As they rushed down the stairs, they could see that Klaus was covered in a long feminine trench coat, and his body was hunched inside of it. They could hear him murmuring something quietly, but couldn’t make out what it was from where they were.

“Klaus!” Diego was two steps ahead of his siblings. “What happened?”

Looking up at them, Klaus’ eyes were wild with tears, and he could see bruises forming on his brother’s skin. “He’s hurt, Diego!”

Running to him, Diego stopped with a halt as his vision finally saw what Klaus was talking about. “What the hell is that?”

Smacking him, Five crouched to the floor, running his hand over the soft fur. “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a dog before?”

Rolling his eyes, Diego looked down on them. “What I meant was what is it doing in the house?”

“He’s hurt!” Klaus shouted again, visibly shaken.

“Who’s hurt?”

Turning, they all watched as Grace hurried into the room and straight for her son. Before turning back to the situation, Diego noted Vanya standing quietly on the balcony, watching them.

“You can help him, right?” Klaus asked his mom.

Kneeling to the ground beside her kids, Grace smiled warmly at him. “I’ll need to see him first, darling.”

Nodding quickly, Klaus opened his coat a bit more, revealing a small, trembling husky puppy. He was whimpering, and they could see the small patch of blood on his side.

“Oh, such a sweet thing.” Grace cooed and let the puppy sniff her hand before nuzzling his face against her. “We’ll get you fixed right up. Klaus, honey, why don’t you bring him to the infirmary and let me take a look?”

Their brother was on his feet as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Sharing a look with the others, Diego followed them. He waited until Klaus laid the puppy on the table before questioning him.

“Klaus, what happened?”

“I was on my way home.” The taller man told them. “I was almost home when these guys came out of nowhere and jumped me.”

“What?”

Diego hadn’t known his siblings followed him, but he wasn’t surprised.

“They said some things, got in a few hits,” Klaus mumbled. “I got in a few too, before this little guy showed up. Jumped in front of me and growled, the precious thing.

“The guys just laughed, and one of them tried to walk over him, but he jumped up and bit his ankle.” He sounded proud as he looked down at the puppy, who laid obediently as Grace cleaned and stitched his wound. “One of the other guys kicked him away, and he got a gash in his side.”

“What happened to the guys?” Luther asked quickly, and Diego appreciated the speed in which their brother was ready to defend him.

“Oh, I was finally able to manifest a few ghosts.” Klaus shrugged. “They got scared and ran after that.”

Allison moved over to pet the husky’s head, and the dog licked her hand in return. “Our little hero.”

“I couldn’t leave him out there!” Klaus said suddenly, his voice becoming high-pitched and panicked.

Putting his hand on Klaus’ shoulder, Diego nodded. “It’s okay, bro.”

“There we go.” Grace smiled as she put away her tools. “Good as new.”

The puppy instantly looked around the room and relaxed once he laid his eyes on Klaus. Leaning over his new friend, Klaus put his head against the dog’s head and spoke quietly again. Then he rose again and looked at them, speaking the words that they were all dreading.

“Can we keep him?”

* * *

Diego stood in the doorway of his brother’s room, watching as he slept peacefully. The dog, who Klaus had dubbed Balto (“It’s my favorite kid’s movie, Diego!” “I’m _not_ calling him that.”), was curled up next to him with his head on Klaus’ stomach. Both slept soundly, as if protecting each other from the world.

Shaking his head, Diego sighed and walked back to his own room. After Klaus had taken Balto back to his room, the four remaining siblings worried amongst themselves about his attachment to the dog. They were all firmly against keeping it, so Allison had suggested checking with local shelters the following day to see if anyone was missing their pet.

Diego could only hope they would reunite another family with their dog, or they’d have a really tough time talking their brother out of his idea.

* * *

The world hated them, Diego knew. They’d spent all morning calling shelters and veterinary offices in hopes of finding the dog’s home, but they hadn’t had any luck. One woman working at a shelter had recognized his description, noting him as a frequent flyer in their establishment before being adopted—then it would happen all over again.

Though the thought made all of them sad—who adopts a pet just to abandon them—they knew they couldn’t keep him. Puppies were expensive and required lots of training, not to mention the fact that none of them were stable enough to handle taking care of a dog. Most of them couldn’t take care of themselves.

Now they just had to convince Klaus of that.

Whispering quietly to themselves, they walked up the stairs to Klaus’ room, ready to explain why they couldn’t keep the puppy, but when they arrived, they weren’t there. Confused, they looked at each other before hearing happy barks (at least they sounded happy to Diego) coming from down the hall. When they arrived near the sound, they froze at the sight in front of them.

The door to Vanya’s room was open, and both she and Klaus sat on the floor, Balto between them. He was licking their hands excitedly and jumping around playfully, landing partially in their laps as he went.

It was the first time they’d been able to coax her out, and it was because of the damn dog.

“Oh, hi, guys!” Klaus smiled and waved at them.

Looking up, Vanya gave them a small smile, though they could all feel the anxiety rolling off of her. Sensing it at the same time they did, Balto jumped fully into her lap and began to lick her face. When he licked her nose, she let out an involuntary laugh and hugged him gently.

It was the happiest they’d seen her in years.

“What are you guys up to?” Klaus asked, a glint of fear flashing through his eyes.

Diego shook his head and sat on the floor next to him. “I just…Klaus, we…”

Balto jumped into his lap, and Diego thought it looked like he was smiling at him. He looked up and saw Klaus and Vanya staring at him, hope in their eyes, and sighed.

“I’m not picking up any dog shit, you understand?” He told them. “And if he pees on my bed, I’m coming after you.”

Klaus clapped happily, and Vanya smiled, the first genuinely positive thing she’d done since they’d been home. Diego didn’t think he’d seen either one of them so relaxed and genuine in their entire lives.

As if he understood what Diego had said, Balto rested his front paws on the man’s chest and licked his cheek. Turning to look at the others who stood behind him, the man in black shrugged.

“Welcome to the family, Balto.”

He was never going to hear the end of this.


End file.
